I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 19 : Academy Cadets Have Many Things to Do (2)

After all classes ended.

"Phew."

As soon as the afternoon maintenance time began, I came down to the second training field with a track and was warming up.

"One, two, three, four! Don't break your form!"

"Haack, let's go!"

Some cadets with muscles visibly developed even under their clothes were freely running.

'They're diligent.'

Most of them were second-years and third-years who had returned to campus due to gaps in their external dispatch schedules.

Those who had personally experienced how fiercely one must fight to survive in this academy.

'The sooner you realize it, the better.'

From today, I planned to start personal training with the same routine every day.

'First, aerobic exercise until dinner time.'

Classes end at 5 PM, and dinner time is between 6 PM and 8 PM.

Therefore, I had time to complete one training session before that.

Complete showering and dinner from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM, then anaerobic strength training until 8:30 PM.

The schedule would continue with characteristic training and sparring until 10 PM.

'Until I find sparring partners, I'll have to focus on characteristic training.'

There was no rush at all.

'Physical strength is the foundation.'

For me, with the Unlimited characteristic, training my body was always like a long-term investment guaranteeing high returns.

Crack!

I stretched my muscles and loosened my joints with intense movements.

Normally, the standard order is to burn carbohydrates in the body with anaerobic exercise, stimulate the muscles, and then finish with aerobic exercise.

'There's a risk of injury, and efficiency issues too.'

If you do anaerobic first, you can run mindlessly afterward, but if you do aerobic until you're exhausted and then do anaerobic, your performance drops and the probability of injury increases.

But, that's why I planned to start with aerobic exercise.

Greater load leads to greater functional growth.

The Unlimited characteristic is an ability that allows one to transcend the limits of endurance and performance with mental strength.

Therefore, my plan was to aim for greater recovery, muscle growth, and stamina growth by protecting my body from destruction even during exercises approaching abuse and overwork.

'It's a method only I can use.'

First, train strength and muscular endurance with short-distance running.

With middle-distance running, I would train the tenacity to endure extreme pain.

A month ago, I focused on three main events.

First was the 200m, the upper limit of all-out sprinting; second was the 400m, called the most painful short-distance event.

Finally, 800m, the maximum distance one can run without considering pace control.

'Now that level doesn't even stimulate me.'

With the training I had done during the month preparing for the entrance exam, my cardiopulmonary endurance and athletic ability had already far surpassed that of a typical elite athlete.

Therefore, I planned to double each distance.

'Later, I'll be able to run ten laps around the track without pace control.'

That level would be almost inhuman—more like a horse—and it was even more harsh considering I wouldn't use any mana at all.

'If I use mana, I don't get enough stimulation.'

Pursuing ever more stimulation.

That was the training method a player with Unlimited had to get used to.

"Alright."

The warm-up was long.

"Let's get started."

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Su-hyeon's running at an incredible pace around the field quickly caught the attention of other cadets.

"Is he running 400 meters at full speed?"

"Yeah. And that's already his fourth time."

"Crazy."

Everyone clicked their tongues at his reckless method.

"He's running a full lap around the track at that speed?"

"But why isn't he slowing down?"

Su-hyeon's running, maintaining the same pace from start to finish, was far from their common sense.

"Hey, is that kid Jeong Su-hyeon?"

"I think so."

"He was the only one who endured until the end during the morning roll call too. Beast-like stamina."

"What's his characteristic? Is he a werewolf?"

"I heard he's not."

"Did he live in some high-altitude region?"

"Huk! Huk! Huuuk!"

In that brief moment, Su-hyeon, who had finished sprinting at full speed, was repeating fierce breaths like a roar to force air into his depleted lungs.

'Is he going to die like that?'

Just as observers were worried about his violently panting state, Su-hyeon suddenly stood up.

"Huuuu."

'Huh?'

And then, running again.

"What? Was that his full rest?"

This time too, Su-hyeon ran around the track almost at full speed.

For two laps.

"He's running 800 meters at that speed??"

"Crazy. He must have two hearts."

Their shock turned to admiration when they saw Su-hyeon running even 1500m at an incredible pace.

"There's someone who runs 1500m like that."

"Doesn't seem like he's using mana either?"

"That guy's superhuman too."

"Hook! Hoo-ook! Hooo-ook!"

Su-hyeon's heart and lungs were already beyond overload, suffering as if they might explode at any moment.

Not just his organs.

Thighs, calves, plantar fascia...... Every muscle and organ in his body was screaming horribly.

'Painful enough to feel like dying.'

Michael Johnson, the top track star of the 1990s in America, once introduced his strategy for the 400m run with the term 4P.[ TN: Michael Johnson's 4P strategy for the 400m run stands for Push, Pace, Position, and Poise, outlining a phase-by-phase approach to maximize performance throughout the race. ]

Unlike the other three Ps which were technical theories, the meaning of the fourth P was Poise.

It meant there's nothing to do but run while begging to be spared.

Short-distance running is so painful that even properly running just 100m, no, even 50m quickly makes your lungs feel like they're about to tear.

Su-hyeon's body, performing such a task at an intensity several times that of others, had already reached its limit from extreme stress and pain.

'This level won't kill me.'

Su-hyeon reminded himself.

Running requires not just cardiopulmonary capacity and athletic ability.

The most important thing is tenacity.

'Pain that doesn't kill me is just stimulation that makes me stronger.'

Even while gasping from the severe pain, Su-hyeon's reason continued to brainwash himself this way, not losing his running pace.

And finally.

'It's here!'

The surge of brain-produced drugs that he had experienced countless times over the month began again.

Runner's high.

It was a desperate measure drawn out by the body to accommodate the owner's stubbornness, enduring overload with terrible mental strength and overworking himself.

'Good.'

"Does it look like he's smiling?"

"At this point, it's a bit scary."

Meanwhile, at that time.

"Iced Americano again today?"

"Latte is the essence at Paul Baguette."

Hwang Ji-su and Kwon Seung-yeon, the two roommates, were passing over the second training field to have a cup of coffee before dinner.

"It seems noisy."

"What's going on?"

Soon, the two were able to spot a familiar face.

"Jeong Su-hyeon?"

Hwang Ji-su frowned.

'Working out without even resting. He's intense.'

While some were going for coffee, others were already immersed in exercise.

Should I also exercise at this time starting tomorrow?

Hwang Ji-su, burning with competitiveness, nudged Kwon Seung-yeon's side as she stood still, watching the scene.

"Hey, what are you doing? Aren't you coming?"

"You go ahead. I want to watch him exercise a bit."

"Ugh."

Hwang Ji-su made a face of disgust and kept poking her side.

"It's just running, what's there to see?"

"No."

Kwon Seung-yeon shook her head firmly.

"I've never seen anyone do a running routine like that before."

"What are you saying."

Hwang Ji-su deeply frowned.

"Are you really going ahead?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

Thump thump thump!

Kwon Seung-yeon briefly watched Hwang Ji-su's sulking back as she walked away, stomping heavily, then turned her head toward Su-hyeon.

'......It doesn't seem like he's using mana?'

If so, this was literally overtraining.

'Why is he exercising like that?'

This was the same Su-hyeon who had endured that ridiculous exercise (written as exercise but read as disciplinary training) until the end during the morning roll call.

'Interesting.'

It felt like discovering a new training method.

How much time had passed like that?

"Are you still watching?"

Hwang Ji-su, who had returned, handed a takeout coffee to Kwon Seung-yeon who was lost in thought.

"Wow. You bought one for me too? Amazing."

"Hmph."

"Thank you, thank you. But Ji-su, I think Jeong Su-hyeon is running like that without using mana."

"What?"

Hwang Ji-su's eyebrows twitched.

"At that level, isn't his physical body itself on par with a werewolf?"

"Even during the morning roll call, kids like Kang Geon-woo all collapsed but he endured."

"Hmph. That's true but."

Hwang Ji-su pouted her lips.

The outwardly perceptible mana quantity wasn't impressive.

But with that level of physical ability, even the same amount of mana would produce output of a different dimension.

'That would make him quite troublesome.'

"What exactly is that guy's characteristic?"

"I'm curious about that too."

"The instructors must know?"

"Probably?"

"......."

The two fell silent, each sinking into their own thoughts.

'I did need a workout partner anyway.'

In Kwon Seung-yeon's case, it was curiosity.

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"Are you really going to the strength training room?"

After finishing the hellish aerobic exercise that made my whole body feel like it was melting away, taking a quick shower, having dinner, and on the way back.

Nam Tae-hoon asked me with a subtle expression as I was preparing for my next workout right away.

"Why?"

"I heard the atmosphere there is kind of scary."

"Atmosphere?"

I smirked, guessing why he was saying that.

"It's fine."

By the way.

"You don't have anything to do, right?"

Nam Tae-hoon, guessing my intention, said with a straight face.

"Absolutely not going."

Hmm.

A wise choice.

"Huk huk!"

"Hook hook!"

The strength training room, steaming with sweat-mixed heat even though it was March.

As soon as I opened the door, hot air rushed in.

'The smell of gym rats.'

The scene unfolding before my eyes was truly spectacular.

"One!"

"Argh!"

"Two!"

"Kwaaargh!"

Gym rats with fierce looks, whether high school students or bodybuilders was hard to tell, were sweating bullets as they clung to all kinds of equipment, barbells, and dumbbells.

"......."

None of them turned their gaze toward me.

"Boys, why are you all so underwhelming today!"

"We're sorry, sirrr!"

Among them, instructors with familiar faces were mercilessly driving the cadets.

'Jang Jin-won.'

The health instructor who had treated my broken left arm during the entrance exam, and the ruler of this domain.

"This won't do, mental preparation again! Put everything down!"

Boom boom boom!

With a ground-shaking sound, all the cadets assembled in front of Instructor Jang Jin-won.

"Muscle creed!"

As he shouted, the rest of the gym rats chanted in response.

"Our determination!"

'?'

"We are Korean gym rats dedicated to definition and bulk!"

'......?'

What is this now?

"One!"

"We protect muscle democracy and become pioneers for national unification!"

"Two!"

"With lower body training equal to upper body, we become victors of lifting!"

"Three!"

"We adhere to our routines and obey the trainer's commandssss!"

"Four!"

"We maintain form and diet, and unite firmly with camaraderie!"

'No.'

What the hell is wrong with these lunatics?

'What the hell is muscle democracy?'

"Good! Your muscle hearts should be sufficiently filled now!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Back to positions!"

"Back to positions!"

Watching the cadets return to their places, I was finally able to push down my bewilderment.

'Was there such an Easter egg?'

I never encountered such an insane concept even after hundreds of playthroughs.

"Start again!"

"Heuup!"

Predator-type lycanthropes like werewolves or werebears, and body enhancement type ability users who clearly had different muscle quality than humans.

The weights of the barbells and dumbbells they were lifting were all beyond common sense.

'They're not using mana either, as expected.'

With mana, they could lift much more weight, but then there would be no stimulation.

'To make the vessel itself larger, mana must be restricted.'

In the Edge of Gate world view, if the body created this way is 10 and mana is 10, it would exert greater power than an awakened person with a body of 5 and mana of 15.

'Fights where a 10-year-old kid overpowers a 2-meter giant with strength don't usually happen.'

Anyway.

My primary goal was to be the one lifting the most weight here before a year passed.

'This spot looks good.'

Finding an empty power rack, I first brought a lot of spare plates and loaded them.

'The barbell is sturdy.'

Being an alloy made from demonic beast by-products, it could withstand much heavier weights.

'By the way.'

The stares from the gym rats piercing me were uncomfortable.

They probably wanted to see what weight the newbie would lift.

"Huuu."

First, warming up with squats, 250kg for 10 reps.